Inorganic and organic polymer materials are used in myriad commercial products, particularly synthetic polymers. Non-limiting examples of important synthetic polymers include polyethylenes, polyethylene oxides, polypropylenes, polyterephthalates, polyesters, polyvinyl chlorides, polystyrenes, polytetrafluoroethylenes, polyvinylidene difluorides, polyurethanes, silicones, epoxies, and polyamides. It also includes materials with a measureable glass transition temperature not commonly referred to as polymers.
There is a continuing need to improve or alter the properties of the polymer materials. The addition of a modifying agent, such as trans-4-tertbutyl-1-phenylcyclohexanol, can improve a variety of properties of a polymer matrix, including, but not limited to, permeability, conductivity, dielectric, thermal and mechanical properties of the matrix. The advantage of utilizing this invention is that the use of a modifying agent, such as trans-4-tertbutyl-1-phenylcyclohexanol, first dissolves in the molten polymer and then precipitates out as organic nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. The result is a polymeric composite material having improved properties. This is an advantage over conventional polymer property modifying techniques that disperse preformed nanoparticles, such as carbon black and silica, into a molten, or dissolved, polymer. Such conventional techniques are prone to agglomeration and dispersion problems that adversely affect the desired properties of the polymer end product. Therefore, there is a continuing need in the art for ways to improve the properties of polymeric materials.